1853. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
19 
menopterous insect in all its various stages of ex- 
istence, from the ova up to the imago, or perfect 
state; many of the larva obtained from the center 
of the tree were observed to be mutilated and 
dead, exhibiting evident indications, that their 
destruction had been accomplished by the aid of 
some parasitical, or egg-depositing insect - the in¬ 
ternal portions of what remained having afforded 
to these depredators, a sufficient nourishment, 
until they became ready to emerge in a perfect 
form, to the open light of day. Those that were 
procured from near the orifices that still remained 
closed, were all in either a chryslis or perfect 
state, the former being enclosed in a membranous, 
soft, and translucent case or covering, through 
which the entire form and' proportions of the in¬ 
sect could with ease be distinguished. On sub¬ 
mitting the perfect insect to an examin&tion, Iliad 
little difficulty in determining it to be the one 
here figured, the Tremex Columba , (Pigeon 
hole-borer) of Say- 
to believe that the natural habit of this insect is, 
to deposit the eggs within the bark near the base 
of the tree • if so, to white-wash the trunk for 
six or eight feet from the ground, or give it a co¬ 
pious washing with some of the various materials 
so strongly reccommended by many different au¬ 
thors, and ordinarily made use of for the purpose, 
together with destroying the female whenever 
met with, or thrusting a red hot wire into the or¬ 
ifices, and thus causing the larvae to perish, may, 
in all probability, effectually protect the trees 
from any of their future depredations. These 
grubs are frequently destroyed by the larva of the 
Pimpla lunator, the egg of which, having been 
deposited in their bodies, while committing their 
depredations in the heart of the tree. 
Tremex Columba is embraced in the second tribe of 
Hymenoptera , and belongs to the family UrGceridce , or 
horn-tails, so termed in consequence of being furnished 
with horny points at the extremity of the abdomen. 
The body of the female is cylindrical, and about as thick 
as an ordinary lead-pencil, being an inch and a half or 
more in length, exclusive of the ovipositor, which is an 
inch long, projecting three-eighths of an inch beyond the 
extremity of the body. This latter, rounds upwards, 
like the stem of a boat, and is armed with a pointed or 
sharp horn. The head and thorax are of a rust color, 
varied with black. The abdomen is black, with seven 
ochre-yellow bands across the back, all of which, with 
the exception of the first two, are interrupted in the 
middle. The borer, and a round spot at its base, im¬ 
pressed as if with a seal, are of an ochre-yellow color. 
The antenna? are rather short and blunt, of a rust color, 
and with a broad black ring in the middle. The wings, 
when expanded, are two inches and a quarter or more 
in extent, smoky brown, and translucent. The legs are 
of an ochre-yellow, with blackish thighs. The ovi¬ 
positor is of an awl or needle form, and about the thick¬ 
ness of a bristle, with a spear-pointed termination, and 
black in color; when not in use it is concealed between 
two nar ow side-pieces, which furnish to it a species of 
scabbard or sheath. 
The male is not furnished with a borer, and is ex¬ 
tremely unlike the female, in color, form, and size. The 
color is that of rust, variegated with black, with the an¬ 
tennas of a dark rusty yellow. The wings are of a 
smoky tinge, but much clearer than those of the female. 
The abdomen is rather enlarged behind, somewhat flat¬ 
tened, and terminates with a conical horn. The hind 
legs are much wider than those of the females, flat¬ 
tened, and of a blackish color; the remaining ones are 
of a rust color, more or less shaded with black. The 
body varies from three quarters of an inch to one and a 
quarter in length; and the expansion of wings, from 
one and a quarter to two or more inches. The larvae is 
of a cylindrical shape and of a yellowish white color, 
with a rounded termination and a horny point on the 
upper portion of its extremity. It is an inch and a half 
in length. 
In the months of July and August, these in¬ 
sects may not unfrequently be met with in some 
considerable numbers, the females employed in 
depositing the eggs in the wood of the trees on 
which their larvae feeds; and the males, hovering 
leisurely about, as if for the purpose of inspecting 
the progress of the operation. This is accom¬ 
plished by the female in the following way: Af¬ 
ter selecting the desired spot, she elevates the ab¬ 
domen, and curves its extremity in such a man¬ 
ner as to bring the ovipositor in a perpendicular 
position directly beneath its center, then by a se¬ 
ries of wriggling motions, plunges it about the dis¬ 
tance of an inch and a half, or more, through the 
bark, into the solid wood, and in this orifice 
plants a single egg. The larvae, on being hatched, 
gnaws its way into the heart of the tree, for some 
six or more inches in depth, and there remains 
securely, committing its depredations, until the 
period arrives for its change into the chrysalis 
state, and in no great length of time after, to 
emerge into its perfect form, again fully prepared 
to renew the process of regeneration. James 
Eights. Albany , Dec. 1, 1852. 
Heave Wheat and Oats. —At the late Pro¬ 
vince i Exhibition of the New-Brunswick Ag. So- 
C' ,y, the prize for the best sample of Wheat, was 
iwarded to a bushel which weighed 68^ pounds. 
There were five samples which weighed 67 lbs., 
and more than 20 samples weighing from 63 £ to 
67 lbs. The prize Oats weighed 53 lbs. to the 
bushel, and 14 other samples weighed from 46 to 
52 lbs. 
